incorrect information, blanket

attack on all non-right wing media, and cut and paste from neocon website, all-in-all an otherwise mildly entertaining post. I give it 2 stars of  11 possible.

• Valerie Plame on 60 minutes - reveille
  • Yes, she was outed...long before Novak did...she - Observer
    • incorrect information, blanket - reveille
      • I believe three things - reveille
        • I will watch scooter's conviction when they try - Observer
          • you are just wrong - reveille
            • That's right, ignore a court document.... - Observer
      • Here's the brief filed in court by several media agencies...including - Observer
        • Another cut and paste from a neocon rag - Boy this gets old....
          • Again...if this is a liberal trait then God save us from liberals... - Observer
            • You are a liar, pure and simple - Boy this gets old....
              • Calling me a liar, saying out of context... - Observer
                • It's a matter of opinion. - Boy this gets old....
                  • I second your opinion except - sandre
                    • You can only "out" someone who is covert.... - Observer
                      • not everyone agrees with your "fact" - Boy this gets old....
                        • Let's get to the heart of what I originally posted... - Observer

The messages you are viewing are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select the boards given in left menu

Right-wing rants that cite email sources are suspect at best.  Google any one heading included in yesterday's post and discover links to the "common sense" of the Getting' After Left show and a barrage of right-wing blogs.  Surprise, surprise. 

BODY COUNT 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_cities_by_crime_rate

Despite being the 3rd largest US city, Chicago's murder rate ranks 20th behind much less populous cities Baltimore MD, Newark NJ, St. Louis MO, Oakland CA, Cincinnati OH, Buffalo NY, Kansas City MO, Miami FL, Pittsburg PA,  and Cleveland OH.  Guess who is ranked #21 (same general category)?  That would be McC's hometown of Phoenix Arizona.  Chicago has experienced an overall decline in crime since the 1990s.

http://www.iraqbodycount.org/database/

You seem to be equating Iraq fatalities to murder.  I agree.  On that Iraq body count figure, since you are talking civilians in Chicago, it is only fair to include those folks in your first six months of 2008 figure.  In 2008, the average daily violent occupation-related loss of life via suicide attacks, vehicle bombs, gunfire and executions is 27 x 182.5 days in first six months = 4,927 + you 221 = 5148.  While we are at it, may as well throw out that total civilian body count in Iraq, the very most conservative documented count being 88,373, or World Trade Center x30.   

"COMBAT ZONE"

Naturally, no reliable data is available on this claim, it being a subjective pronouncement that seeks to pontificate.

STATE PENSION FUND

Here we see the smear leap from the Chicago to the state level...an apples to oranges, smoke and mirrors maneuver the GOP attack machine thought they might slip by unattentive readers.  OK.  Let's go there.  As recently as February of this year, we find the following:  http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2008/02/25/daily29.html

Center on Budget and Policy and Priorities:  McCain's red state:  Arizona Budget Deficit Worst in the Country.  Follow link for all the fascinating details.     

http://www.cbpp.org/1-15-08sfp.htm  Info updated 08/05/08

For starters, state budget deficits are ranked in terms of shortfall percentages.

In the US, 29 states face budget shortfalls totaling 48 billion in 2009.  Notice how similar this 29-state total is to the amount in the GOP smear that claimed a $44 BILLION dollar deficit IL pension plan funds.   Arizona's shortfall percentage = 17.8%, now in second place behind the nations most populous state, California.  Illinois' shortfall percentage = 6.6%, making AZ's budget deficit nearly 3 times that of IL.  So, if we hold dems (and by pub logic, O) responsible for Chicago, then who, pray tell is responsible for Arizona, the political culture from which JM comes from? 

COUNTY SALES TAX

To suggest that any party's local (especially municipal or county) tax schemes would be reproduced on a national level is downright ridiculous.  Tax structures are entirely different and wildly varied from state to state.  Speaking of states, I came across this link http://www.fairtaxation.org/facts/sales_tax_rank.php which shows the Arizona sales tax rate ranks higher (#10) at 7.8% than Illinois at 7.6%. 

CHICAGO SCHOOLS WORST IN NATION

I bit hard to address this second subjective pronouncement that seeks to pontificate.  In terms of WHAT exactly is it the worst?  They are certainly not an uneducated bunch of folks: 

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a80Zfbu_.k4g&refer=us  University of Chicago has produced 82 Nobel prize winners and 10 Nobel Prize winners in economics, more than any university in the US.  The John Bates Clark Medal, bestowed every two years, recognizes the nation's most outstanding economist under 40.  U of Chicago has produced more than any other US institution, 6 out of the 31 recipients.  Seems like those Chicago economists are sort of, well....exceptional. 

I really could go on and on about Chicago's booming economy but I am out of time here.  Maybe later then. 

To life-long friends and family who know me, no one would ever use those to terms to describe me. 

But I have been called blunt and overly honest at times.

You are as off in your assessment of me as you were in your being unable to assess what constitutes humor.  Apparently you also were incapable of understanding the moderator's request that you stay off this board if you can't play nice with the liberal's posting their viewpoints.  Perhaps you did not notice that the title of the board is LIBERALS.   

I never told anyone to leave this board.  I simply asked the bashing to stop.  You have been provided a forum for your endless stream of liberal bashing and it is called the conservative board.  Just never understood why you guys don't want to use it for the purpose it was provided.   I like to see your posts on this board when free of the bashing.

You and the death squad on this board need to get educated.  You need to move beyond your stereotypes of the evil Muslims. 

Jihad has a wider meaning in Islamic literature. It can be striving to lead a good Muslim life, praying and fasting regularly, being an attentive spouse and parent or working hard to spread the message of Islam.^[2] Jihad is also used in the meaning of struggle for or defence of Islam, the holy war. Despite the fact that Jihad is not supposed to include aggressive warfare, this has occurred, as exemplified by early extremists like Kharijites and contemporary groups like Egypt's Jihad Organization (which assassinated Anwar Al Sadat) as well as Jihad organizations in Lebanon, the Gulf states, and Indonesia.^[1]

Your Teddy/Taiga synopsis is wrong, as is your Observer synopsis.  Check the archives if you don't believe me.  I don't know why the truth is so hard to portray...especially when it can all be verified in the archives.  But then this is nothing new with you guys.

If you want to believe the fiction you have created, go ahead.  This is a political board and if you want to make up fairy tales in order to bash someone I can't stop you.

You wrote But first, they drop leaflets, warning civilians to leave.  Really, quite a first for this sort of thing. 

This may be a first for Israel, but it is a practice that has been used for a very long time in order to minimize collateral damage in wars.  You need to check your facts because you are wrong that it is a first for this sort of thing.

How kind of Israel to drops these leaflets warning civilians to leave after Israel already bombed out their roads and bridges in order that they might actually do so.  No.  Kind probably isn't the right word.  Disingenuous is a much better word.

Lebanon was in the process of being a place people wanted to visit again, in fact, a vacation destination for some people.  There was not only great physical damage done to its infrastructure but to its economic potential, as well.

As far as Hezbollah, some people see them as terrorists.  However, some people in Lebanon see them as part of their government, as people who try to take care of those less fortunate in Lebanon, and as people who will help to keep them safe from Israel.  I personally am not willing to disregard what these people feel and know firsthand in order to believe what a neocon Bush apologist has to say, considering all the lies the world has been asked to believe since Bush took office.

Even the moderate countries over there are changing their opinions regarding Hezbollah and Israel -- the same countries that used to be our allies.

Hezbollah has promised to honor the cease fire, but they do reserve the right to protect themselves, which is very reasonable.  Israel, on the other hand, ramps up the attacks and violence, making me wonder just how sincere they are.  Once again, disingenuous is more like it.

I'm very sorry, but I, for one, am bloody tired of Israel apologists.

I posted the source of your information.  That is all.  I know that most of us, yourself included, feel it is important to cite sources.

Otherwise no where in my short post did I challenge the veracity of the information you provided.

The name of this site is MTStars.  Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I take that to mean it is a place for medical transcriptionists to come and voice their opinions about many subjects.  Please see list of subjects to the left.  What I didn't realize is that this board is exclusive of anyone who is not a christian or has a different view other than those posted.  AGAIN, my post had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, I repeat NOTHING to do with religion.  And by the way, I have used the term *bible thumping* once on this board, and that was because it was a direct quote from another poster (a christian).

MODERATOR:  Could you please change the name of this website to RELIGIOUSLY POLITICALLY CORRECT MTSTARS!!!!

Email:  If you can't see our menu, your pop-up blocker is enabled. Click here to see the site directory. Saturday, Oct 01, 2005

Quotes And Statements Statement By Bill Bennett, Sep. 30, 2005 From the Desk of William J. Bennett September 30, 2005 On Wednesday, a caller to my radio show proposed the idea that one good argument for the pro-life position would be that if we didn't have abortions, Social Security would be solvent. I stated my doubts about such a thesis, as well as my opposition to such a form of argument (the audio of the call is available at my Website: bennettmornings.com). I then stated that such extrapolations of this argument can cut both ways, and cited the current bestseller, Freakonomics, which discusses the authors' thesis that abortion reduces crime. Then, putting my philosophy professor's hat on, I went on to reveal the limitations of such arguments by showing the absurdity in another such argument, along the same lines. I entertained what law school professors call 'the Socratic method' and what I would hope good social science professors still use in their seminars. In so doing, I suggested a hypothetical analogy while at the same time saying the proposition I was using about blacks and abortion was 'impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible,' just to ensure those who would have any doubt about what they were hearing, or for those who tuned in to the middle of the conversation. The issues of crime and race have been on many people's minds, and tongues, for the past month or so--in light of the situation in New Orleans; and the issues of race, crime, and abortion are well aired and ventilated in articles, the academy, the think tank community, and public policy. Indeed the whole issue of crime and race is not new in social science, nor popular literature. One of the authors of Freakonomics, himself, had an extended exchange on the discussion of these issues on the Internet some years back--which was also much debated in the think tank community in Washington. A thought experiment about public policy, on national radio, should not have received the condemnations it has. Anyone paying attention to this debate should be offended by those who have selectively quoted me, distorted my meaning, and taken out of context the dialogue I engaged in this week. Such distortions from 'leaders' of organizations and parties is a disgrace not only to the organizations and institutions they serve, but to the First Amendment. In sum, let me reiterate what I had hoped my long career had already established: that I renounce all forms of bigotry--and that my record in trying to provide opportunities for, as well as save the lives of, minorities in this country stands up just fine. Bill Bennett Interview on Fox News' Hannity & Colmes Regarding Race, Crime, Etc. Courtesy of Fox News Channel/9-29-2005 First, our top story tonight is the controversy surrounding radio talk show host Bill Bennett. Yesterday on his radio show, Mr. Bennett -- Dr. Bennett was quoted as saying. I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could, if that were your sole purpose, you cold abort every black baby in this country and your crime rate would go down...that would be an impossible, ridiculous and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. So these far-out, these far-reaching, extensive extrapolations are, I think, tricky. The comments have drawn criticism today from Senate minority leader Harry Reid who said he was appalled. Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy who called them racist and from House minority leader Nancy Pelosi who said they were shameful. Bill Bennett joins us now in an exclusive interview to talk about these comments. Dr. Bennett, we appreciate you coming on tonight. DR. BILL BENNETT, MORNING IN AMERICA HOST: Thank you. COLMES: Might give you an opportune to put them in context and explain. BENNETT: Sure. Well, the context was a radio show that I was doing yesterday, and the topic was abortion and we were talking about bad arguments in regard to abortion. A caller suggested he was opposed to abortion because he said if there were more babies there would be, eventually, more tax payers and a larger GNP, a smaller deficit. I said you want to be careful with that kind of argument because someone could postulate a situation where child's not likely to be a productive taxpayer. I said, arguments in which you take something that's far out, like the GNP and try to connect it up with abortion are tricky. I said make the case of abortion on the basis of life and protecting life. I said abortion is invoked in another way; you could make an argument that if you wanted to lower the crime rate, you saw the quote; you could practice abortion in very large numbers. You could do it in the black community; you could do it in other places. This is, by the way, the subject of a book for economics by a professor at Yale. I said, however, if you were to practice that, widespread abortion in the black community or any other community, it would be ridiculous, impossible, and I appreciate you putting it on the screen, morally reprehensible. So I think morally reprehensible, when that is included in the quote makes it perfectly clear what my position is. A number of the people whom you have cited as condemning me have not made the inclusion of that remark, and so they make it seem, Alan, as if I am supporting such a monstrous idea, which of course I don't. COLMES: Here's my concern. The root cause of crime, one would debate, it seems to be poverty. And from your remarks, I wonder if people might interpret it as saying the root cause of crime is race. And that debate about is it race is it poverty? What really is the root cause? And race affects people of all races and creeds and I think that's why... BENNETT: Poverty. Poverty affects people of all races. Let me tell you what bothers me first, because I'm always candid with you. What bothers me is that last night on your radio show, you were all over me, Alan. And, you know, I was really surprised. You know me, you've known me for a long time and the fact that you would give credence to the notion that I would believe such a thing is very disturbing. I've had 1,000 opportunities when people have said to me what about that Alan Colmes, isn't he a jerk or a liberal this -- I've always said he's always a gentleman, he's nice to me. I run a radio show in which we don't yell at people, we don't make fun of them. We have liberals and conservatives and we deal with sensitive and important public policies issues and we do it in a responsible way. But people need to follow the argument and the argument I was making here is entirely plausible. The causes of crime are very complicated. But there is a very big literature, as you know, about single parenthood in crime, about race in crime, and about poverty in crime. And we've been talking about all these things lately in the context of New Orleans and other things. COMES: Let me talk to you... BENNETT: There are real things in the real world, and there are people who believe we should take such monstrous steps. COLMES: Let me talk about what I said on my radio show. BENNETT: I do not. COLMES: Dr. Bennett -- Bill, because you know, I do consider you someone -- we've been good to each other. I like you. I think you respect me. BENNETT: Yes sir. COLMES: I was really shocked. BENNETT: Have been. COLMES: And I plaid what you said and the whole context of what you said. Frankly, I was just shocked by it. I don't believe you're a racist. I don't think that you believe those things. I was just shocked by what I heard and I -- basically there was a lot of callers calling up and commenting on it after I played your comments. And a lot of other people were shocked that you would have -- in the context you said it, say the things you said. BENNETT: Well, you know, to put forward a hypothesis, a morally impossible hypothesis to show why it is morally impossible and reprehensible seems to me is a standard way of talking about public policy and a standard way of teaching. You know, I've taught philosophy for years and one argues in the hypothetical all the time. People have said such outrageous things, Alan, about race and this is not unknown to our history. It's certainly not unknown to our history -- to the history of Europe, recently. It's not unknown to the history of Islam. And what we have -- you've got to be able to make an argument and say look, you may be thinking you're going to achieve some good end, but you can't use a monstrous means to do it. You know, this is like a Swift's modest proposal for people who remember their literature. You put things up in order to examine them. I put it up, examined it, and said that is ridiculous and impossible no matter who advances that idea. COLMES: All right, we got -- Sean will be with you in the next segment. There are some statistics, you know, that talk about how African- Americans are treated disparagingly in the criminal justice and, you know, we could debate whether or not there really is a greater prejudice against African-Americans and whether they are incarcerated disproportionately. BENNETT: Yeah. COLMES: But look we got to take a break and we'll continue with you... BENNETT: Those are big complicated questions... COLMES: And later, there more political fallout on Capitol Hill today over the indictment of Congressman Tom Delay. We'll take you behind closed doors to one of the most powerful members in the House. And then Nation of Islam leader, Louis Farrakhan, says the suffering of hurricane Katrina has actually brought black Americans together. Is he using the crisis for his own political gain? You don't want to miss this. And FEMA made a hasty deal in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and it's costing taxpayers $236 million. We'll get to the bottom of this shocking story coming up on HANNITY COLMES, tonight. (NEWSBREAK) (COMMERCIAL BREAK) SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: And this is a FOX News Alert. You are looking live at the hills of southern California where wildfires are blazing out of control and are threatening to destroy private residences. We have 3,000 firefighters working at this hour to control the blaze, but as you can see from these live pictures, they're still burning pretty hot. We're gong to keep you updated throughout the hour. We'll bring you new pictures as we get them and let you know as this developes. We hope they can put that out. I was out in southern California in Hope Ranch when this happened. It is devastating. Also coming up tonight, now that Tom Delay is out House majority leader, at least temporarily, will issue like immigration reforms, spending on the federal level will suffer. We're going to ask one of the men who is stepping into part of his leadership position. And there is some late-breaking information tonight about the man who is prosecuting come to Tom Delay. Is it a publicity stunt for a movie being made about him? We'll tell you about this tonight. First, we continue with the host of Morning in America. Bill Bennett is back with us. Bill, first of all, I have known for you many, many years. I know your faith, I know your character, I know who you are. You're a former secretary of education, former drug czar. This notion that Bill Bennett as is being alleged by prominent democrats has any racist bone in his body is appalling to me. BENNETT: Yeah. HANNITY: And I'm glad to hear you say what you said here. I want you to respond to those democrats that are grandstanding, the same ones that had Robert Bird, the former Klansman as their leader. The ones that didn't speak out about Congressman Wrangle's Bull Connor remark. BENNETT: Yeah. Yeah. Well, let's see, you got Kennedy. I will -- I'll not take instruction from Teddy Kennedy. A young woman likely drowned because of his negligence. I'll take no moral instruction with him. That's much worse than legal gambling what Teddy Kennedy did. He should make no judgments at all about people. He shouldn't be in the Senate. As far as racist and all this other stuff, I'll put my record up with Howard Dean, with Harry Reid. When I was drug czar, you bet, we were working on the issue of black crime, Alan and Sean, because there was a lot of crime in the black community. And you know who most of the victims are? Their black people. Yeah, black violence -- black-on-black violence is very serious. I went to about 120 inner city communities. That's where the senate wanted me to go, that's where the Senate wanted me to go, that's where I wanted to go. We went after public housing and we went after the bad guys. And you know what? We got the bad guys. And drug use went down. And we raised the price and lowered the purity of cocaine. And we arrested four of the most powerful drug dealers in the world. And got a lot of these guys off the street. And I am very proud of that. Because when we went into the inner city black community, the people said to me, Mr. Czar, or Czar, or Mr. Benet, you get those people off the street and protect us. And we did our best to do it. Before that, when I was secretary of education, I took on what I think is one of the great civil rights issues of our time, which is educational opportunity and educational choice. The stupid ghettoized curriculum we have, the fact that these black kids go to lousy schools and aren't allowed to choose the schools of their choice because they don't have the money and don't have the opportunity. I've been at this for 25 years and I have been called everything in the book, but I will stay at what I do because I believe it. Let me just tell you, when it comes to abortion, my wife's program, best friends, has kept more young women from having abortions because they don't get pregnant because they take her good counsel... HANNITY: Let me... BENNETT: Than the entire black caucus. She has done more for inner city black girls than the entire black caucus. So I will not bow my head to any of these people. I will not give up the ground of compassion and sympathy. But I'll tell you, we have real issues and we have got to talk about them candidly. And if you don't think there are people who are making draconian proposals about abortion and this and that and the other thing, you know, you don't know the nature... HANNITY: Let me ask you this. I want to ask you about the nature of debate in this society. BENNETT: Sure. HANNITY: I go back to the Bill Maher issue. I don't like -- I don't even like Bill Maher. We disagree on just about everything. But Bill Maher said one statement and his entire history of support in the military was cast aside and people focused on one thing. I said wait a minute, that's wrong. Here's Bill Bennett, here's Trent Lott. One statement, there's no room to apologize, explain, put into context, revise or extend one's remarks because people want to hop on it. We now see the democrats trying to do right now with you and trying to put you in a position of characterizing you, or categorizing you as something you are not. What does that tell you about debate and free speech in the country today? BENNETT: It's bad. You know, if you could do an analysis -- it would be interesting to do an analysis. All day I've been reading reports and statements by people about me, Sean, and it's interesting, some use the whole quote and are fair, some don't. And that tells you something. But the problem, I think, on the liberal side, the democratic side is they attitudinize, they condemn but they don't have a program. You know, the president -- I hope the president pays for this program in New Orleans, but he's got a program, and it's some interesting ideas about enterprise zones and school choice, and giving people opportunities, you know, with the loans and the green lining and they ought to be tried. Because these are ideas that might actually help the poor as opposed to maintaining the welfare state, which does not help poor people at all. It's destroyed a lot of families and it has created circumstances in which more poor people and more black people have had to suffer. What's lifted, the economic life and reduced crime in the black community has been hope and opportunity and education and enterprise. HANNITY: Let me ask you one last question. BENNETT: And that I think is much more, I have to tell you on this side of the aisle, I want to politicize this because there are good people on both sides. HANNITY: Explain. I want you to explain, though, for people that see that one quote, that read that one quote, what do you say to them? BENNETT: What I say to them, Sean, is if they were given the impression that I, you know, am in favor of such a horrible idea as, you know, my critics are suggesting, they need to look at the whole quote. I don't believe that. And I'm sorry that people have misrepresented my views so much that that has given folks that impression. You're right about a person's life. I've got a life, you know, take me in the totality of my actions and I'll tell you, I will stand with my record. One must be very careful one gets into these arguments and we try to do it. But, you know, we try on this show to do serious and controversial issues. And it's a big country and it's a free country. We don't put liberals down. We don't put people down with whom we disagree. We talk about serious things in a serious way. And if you're not allowed to talk about these subjects, then it's not the country it's supposed to be. You've got to be able to condemn these horrible ideas as I did. HANNITY: Bill Bennett, appreciate you being on the program. BENNETT: Thank you. Thank you guys. HANNITY: Thank you very much. And come upping next, Tom Delay will be fighting charges in court. So, you will be fighting for the GOP (SIC) in Congress. We'll talk to one republican leader next. And who was the man going after the House majority leader, Tom Delay? We have late-breaking information tonight that he is allowing film makers to make a movie about him. Is this all part of a script? We'll give you the details. Much more to come.

www.operationmilitarypride.com

I had the privilege and honor of seeing Mother Teresa some years ago in D.C. The audience was made up of a few ordinary people and mostly political and/or media types. The woman did not mince words. She did not hesitate to tell everyone in the audience how she felt that intolerance, indifference, selfishness, materialism and consumerism, the treatment of and attitudes towards the poor, the sick, the imprisoned run rampant were things that incited people to take up arms against each other, to hate one another, etc. and that Americans might want to look a good look at themselves and give some thoughtful prayer to what part they may play in the situations they so despised. Some of the people were so moved by her that they talked to her about going to India. They wanted to work in her clinics, her hospitals, on the streets. She laughed out loud and I will never forget what she said. She said, and I quote, ** You do not have to go to another country to do God's work. Take a look around you. Man's inhumanity to man is evident everywhere. Go into your own cities and find the poor, the needy, the imprisoned, the sick, the haters with hardened hearts, whatever. They will always be with us and they are everywhere. I believe sincerely that peace is God's work, perhaps in the highest form. You think we live in peace here in this country; as Mother Teresa said, look around you. The war is but 1 faction of a very very sick society, a sick world. I was born into peace and nonviolence. I have practiced it all my life. Protests are really quite a small part of my nonviolent lifestyle. There is plenty enough hatred, violence, intolerance and indifference to keep the peacekeepers busy until the end of time, right where they live, wherever that may be.  We also unfortunately have, in this country, warmongering and war profiteering and people in power who could care less about exploiting our troops and whomever they may be fighting. War is a big money maker for some folks. I do protest here but these days it is mostly letters to the editor, letters to senators, clergy, manning phones, that sort of thing. Another thing I believe is that the Creator is the changer of hearts and minds, not men, and that prayer changes things. You asked what I did besides whine on the other board, where were my legs...you asked for it, here it is.

1. I train service dogs for the disabled. I do this for all sorts of people, some of whom happen to be veterans whose welcome home from their government is, in my opinion, nothing short of betrayal. The wonderful projects, facilities that have sprung up to help these vets are all and I mean ALL privately funded, quite a few of the dogs I train have been purchased or **sponsored** meaning covering all costs and it is quite expensive,  from the bleeding heart liberal pinko commies as you refer to us. They pay the fee, anywhere from $12,000 to $25,000 so that people who cannot afford it or whose government does not think them or their service  important enough to provide them everything they could possibly ever need can get something they desperately need. My portion of this 2-year training program is the last leg, the month where trainer, new owner and dog are put together to learn the mechanics of what they are doing together and to learn each other. At this point the dog, its care, individualized training, all vet bills have been paid for. Normally I charge for this month of training that I do one-on-one.  I have NEVER charged 1 red cent to any veteran for my services and I never will. This is one of the ways I support the troops but not the mission. You see, it can be done.

2.  I have belonged to a prayer and meditation for peace group since I was a child. If I go somewhere where I can't find one, I start one or I hook up with the Mennonites or Friends, the original civil disobeyers. We PRAY for peace, for everyone, everywhere.

3.  I work with St. Vincent de Paul (Catholic organization for the needy),

4.  I do meals on wheels (substitute only now, too busy with everything else),

5.  I go with a group of Indians to elementary schools throughout the Tampa Bay area in full regalia with drums, flutes and stories to share with them to try to give them a good honest look at indigenous people. This seems to be going over very well. We have more dates than we can actually handle. I am very proud to do this work.

Those are my legs and I have had them for a long time.  As I recall, this is our board, the L board, so I can post whatever I like and you don't have to read my posts because you always find fault with whatever I said but I will continue to **preach to the choir** as long as I feel like it because it is the liberal board and the liberals don't mind hearing about nonviolence. As Ghandi said, an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind. And, for further perusal, here's a bit of history on Ghandi.

After one year of a none too successful law practice (in England), Gandhi decided to accept an offer from an Indian businessman in South Africa, Dada Abdulla, to join him as a legal adviser. Unbeknown to him, this was to become an exceedingly lengthy stay, and altogether Gandhi was to stay in South Africa for over twenty years. The Indians who had been living in South Africa were without political rights, and were generally known by the derogatory name of 'coolies'. Gandhi himself came to an awareness of the frightening force and fury of European racism, and how far Indians were from being considered full human beings, when he was thrown out of a first-class railway compartment car, though he held a first-class ticket, at Pietermaritzburg. From this political awakening Gandhi was to emerge as the leader of the Indian community, and it is in South Africa that he first coined the term satyagraha to signify his theory and practice of non-violent resistance. Gandhi was to describe himself preeminently as a votary or seeker of satya (truth), which could not be attained other than through ahimsa (non-violence, love) and brahmacharya (celibacy, striving towards God). Gandhi conceived of his own life as a series of experiments to forge the use of satyagraha in such a manner as to make the oppressor and the oppressed alike recognize their common bonding and humanity: as he recognized, freedom is only freedom when it is indivisible.

Aho.

To make matters even worse, every bit of my microscopic federal "tax break" has been more than eaten up by higher state sales taxes now, and of course that will get even worse when we start to see higher prices because higher prices mean higher sales taxes.

What the government giveth (to get silly people to vote for them), the government taketh away - and a little bit extra just for good measure.

What is going on here!   I can't believe this!!!!! 

Sound familiar?